


The World Against Us

by ryanexhale



Category: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:40:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26154352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryanexhale/pseuds/ryanexhale
Summary: ...(fka Records: Harbinger)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	1. Leaving Home

“Tell me that story again, Grammy…”

“Oh?” The voice of an old Raichu spoke. “But this is the third time tonight, Alyssa.”  
“I just…” A Pichu replied. “I just really like that story, Grammy.”  
“Well then, this will be the last time, now, so listen carefully.”  
  
Alyssa tossed and turned in her grandmother’s arms, finding a comfortable spot.  
“As you’ve already known, there is a mythical place called Lovely Garden.” The Raichu said. “Legends have talked about a garden filled with the most beautiful trees, the cleanest rivers, and a magical shrine.”  
  
She stared at the countless stars beyond the window. “Some tales say it holds a fountain of youth. Others say it can provide direct communication with Dialga, Palkia, and for some reason, Giratina, and they would grant you three wishes. But I personally believe in the very few versions that say that the shrine holds the thing needed the most by the Pokémon finds it.”  
She faced Alyssa. “Your father, and your grandfather both went to search for Lovely Garden, but they never returned.”  
  
“Grammy, do you miss Gramps?” Alyssa asked.  
“Father’s side. Your father’s father.” Grammy replied. “...But I do miss seeing your father around.”  
“Oh.”  
  
“A hundred others, most being our ancestors, have all searched for Lovely Garden, but to this day, Lovely Garden still is nowhere to be found.” She finished. “Say, sweetie, why do you care so much about this short story?” She paused. "It doesn't teach any clear morals, or have a happy ending, so... why, sweetie?"  
  
“...It’s because I want to find Daddy.”  
“...Oh.” Grammy responded. “...Maybe one day, you will. Maybe. Alright, sweetie, time for bed.”  
Alyssa kissed her on the cheek. “Good night, Grammy.”  
“Good night, Alyssa.”  
The Pichu ran beyond the door to her room, and quietly closed it behind her.  
  
Meanwhile, the old Raichu leaned back on her chair as she stared into the night sky.  
“Oh, Alyssa…”  
  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
“Hey, big sis, can I take a break now?”  
“No, Marty. You’ve only been carrying it for twenty seconds.”  
“But, Kachy…” A Pikachu, using two paws, struggled to keep a big bag in the air. “...It’s so heavy.”  
“And I’m carrying two bags.”  
  
“Alyssa!” As soon as she heard it, she ran towards her grandmother, with Marty trying his hardest to catch up.  
“Yes, Grammy?”  
“I’ve been excited for this day. Look at how big you’ve grown!”  
“Grammy…”  
  
“My little girl is out to study in Resilire Town, the most important city in the continent… The city that always refuses to die. She will be a light to shine for the Gardien family!”  
Alyssa looked down, her face a little red.  
“But I’ve also been dreading a bit for this day. I’ve always been asking myself, is she going to be okay? Can she live all alone like that?”  
“Kachy, it’s too heavy-” Marty interrupted.  
“I’m going to carry those same bags for fifty-times longer than you are. Or maybe go get a wheelbarrow or something.” Alyssa replied.  
  
“Hey, Apol!” Marty yelled at the distance behind him. “Where’s the wheelbarrow now!?”  
“It’s too heavy, bro! I can’t…” Apol called back from very far away.  
“Too heavy, huh, Apol?! I’m carrying a bag!”  
  
Alyssa turned back to her grandmother as the two annoying brothers continued arguing.  
“Look, Grammy.” Alyssa put her paws on Grammy’s shoulders. “I’m going to be fine. Besides, I can always write letters. Don’t forget that I can deal with situations now, I’m almost an adult-”  
“Sorry sweetie, but I can’t really hear you over the ruckus. Do you mind if you cover your ears for a second?”  
Alyssa stepped aside and covered her ears.  
“ARES AND APOLLO GARDIEN,” Grammy screamed in a raised and seething voice. “SILENCE!”  
Ares was a very loud Pokemon since he was a little Pichu, his name fit him well. But even he stood still, and fell silent with his brother, as if they were turned into stone.  
Alyssa was proud to have a grandmother who still had great memory, and was still very active, for her age.  
  
Grammy put her paws on her ears, and put it back on her sides. Alyssa followed.  
“Grammy, everything’s going to be alright.” Alyssa said. She turned to the sky, and the sun was in a certain location in the blue. “Oh, I’ll have to go now.”  
“Alright… Take care, sweetie.” Grammy said as she kissed Alyssa’s cheek.  
Marty went to hug his older sister before she hit the road. Alyssa also felt Apol do the same, and so did Marty.  
  
“Apol! The wheelbarrow!” He yelled as he let go of Alyssa.  
“It’s already here, bro!” Apol’s voice was shaking.  
“Already here?!” He shouted as he pointed at the wheelbarrow five feet away from them. “You think that’s close enough-” Marty stopped to breathe. Then he reluctantly stomped towards the wheelbarrow and angrily dragged it towards Alyssa.  
  
“Thanks, Marty.” Alyssa pat his head, and she took the bag from him, using just one paw to carry it. “I can’t believe I’m actually going to say this, but I’ll miss the both of you very much.”  
“Kachy…” Tears formed in Apol’s eyes.  
“Marty, say goodbye to little Heleanor for me, thanks.”  
“Yeah, yeah.”  
“I’ll miss you Grammy.”  
“Goodbye, my dear.”  
  
Alyssa walked farther and farther into the road, waving goodbye to her family who were waving back at her.  
  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Alyssa realized she didn’t really have a place to stay for the night, as she walked through the road.  
“Oh well.” She stopped by a tree. “I guess the others that are also going to the school decided to rest under trees during the trip.” She dropped her bags, and laid down uncomfortably on the tree, when…  
“...Young lady!”.  
  
Alyssa ignored it at first, then when she heard the voice again, she stood up.  
“...Are you talking to me?” She pointed towards herself. “...Or…”  
“Yes, you!” An old Emogla walked towards her porch. “Come on in!”  
“...No, I’m fine,” Alyssa smiled. “Thank you-”  
“No, I insist!”  
“Alright, fine.” She let herself in the Emogla’s house.  
  
“This is really good soup, Ma’am,” Alyssa said. “Thank you.”  
“No problem! I’ve been mastering the art since…” The Emogla said. “...I forgot. Say, what is your name, young lady?”  
“Alyssa.” She answered. “You can call me Kachy.”  
“Kachy? Wait- David’s girl?” The Emogla sounded taken back. “...Alyssa Gardien?”  
“...Ma’am, I don’t want to sound rude, but…” Alyssa continued. “...I prefer if you don’t call me by my surname, please, thank you.”  
  
“Don’t worry about it, my dear. You can call me Aunt Emmy, by the way.” Aunt Emmy responded. “I may be old, but I still want to be called an auntie by everyone else. Say, how is your family?”  
“Doing alright, Aunt Emmy.”  
“Are you sure?” She replied. “Last time I heard from the old place, his children turned the place into a loudhouse!” She giggled.  
“Oh, yeah.” Kachy said. “My siblings are annoying and obnoxious at times, but it’s only been half a day and I already kind of miss them.”  
“Ah, the feeling of missing someone.” Aunt Emmy looked out into a window. She turned back. “You’re going to Resilire Town’s school, aren’t you?”  
  
“Yes, Aunt Emmy.”  
“It’s a pretty long way, isn’t it?”  
“Yes… Auntie.”  
“So, you’re moving to a new community very far away from home, where you are familiar with no one, and you have to fend for yourself.” She said. “Tell me, are you scared, or are you confident?”  
“...I…” Alyssa paused. “...I’m not so sure…”  
“No pressure, dear.” Auntie spoke in a calm voice. “...But you really want to go? Tell me honestly.”  
“...I don’t think I can do it.” Alyssa said in a timid voice. “But I have to… I…”  
“You can do it, I believe that you can.” Aunt Emmy reassured her. “Oh, and my grandson is also going to that school. Can you tell him I said hello?”  
  
“I will.” Kachy put down her empty bowl. “Thanks again for the soup.”  
“Follow me, Alyssa.” She gestured her.  
Alyssa stood up, holding the empty bowl, and tried to walk towards the sink.  
“Hey- No, don’t worry about that, I’ll be the one dealing with it. You go ahead.”  
“But, Aunt Emmy, please-”  
“I insist.”  
Alyssa nervously placed the bowl in the sink, then walked to Aunt Emmy’s side.  
  
After walking through a short corridor, Aunt Emmy opened a door, and showed Alyssa around a room.  
“Here is the guest room. You may place your bags here, you may sleep here.”  
“Thank you so much, Auntie.”  
“Good night, dear.” She closed the door.  
  
  
  
Alyssa really didn’t want to waste Auntie’s efforts to give her a nice place to sleep in, but she really couldn’t get herself to fall asleep. It was the second night. She was usually just an insomniac, but the thoughts of going to Resilire Town’s school couldn’t get off her head for even 8 hours.  
The first thing she tried to do was take a shower, but as much as she appreciated the work the old Emogla put to her house to make the water nice and warm, she wasn’t feeling very relaxed.  
The second thing she thought of was to try and read one of the books. She was visibly not that much into books, but her paw stopped over a particular title as she scanned through the sides of the book covers in the room’s mini-library.  
“Who Are You, Really?”, The title read.  
“Oh.” Alyssa thought to herself. “It’s just another one of those books.” She carried on dragging her paw across the collection of books, but… “Screw it.” She stopped, then quickly took out the book.  
  
She’s read too many books about understanding one-self, yet none of them really helped her feel any closer to accepting herself as a Gardien, much less accepting herself. But she needed something to clear her mind for even a bit, and plus, these books were boring anyway, they could probably help her sleep.  
  
 _“...I believe that it’s probably best if you don’t try to force it. You’ll embrace who you are eventually, and you’ll learn how to accept others…”_ _  
_As Alyssa held the book up high as she lay on the bed, she really wished that she could trust the message, but her life has said otherwise. A couple lines further, and the book fell on her face, but she didn’t react.  
  
  
  
“Kachy..?” There were knocks on the door. “Get up Alyssa, you don’t want to be late, do you?”  
Alyssa got up from the bed, and looked through the window. The Sun appeared to be only a few hours away from being in its highest point in the sky. She was supposed to wake up at five. Crap.  
  
She rushed out of the door in a frantic manner, and almost bumped to Aunt Emmy.  
“Sorry, Auntie.” She could only say as she ran through the house.

When she went through the door to the outside, she tried to go down the stairs, but she tripped and fell to the ground.  
The elderly Emogla could only chuckle as she walked towards her and offered her paw.  
“Don’t rush too much, Alyssa.”  
  
Kachy went back in the house, and stuffed some of the nicest fruits she’s ever tasted in her mouth.  
“Grew those myself.” Emmy smiled. “Glad you like them.”  
“Thank you so much, Aunt Emmy.”  
  
After a while, Emmy knocked on the door to the guest room.  
“Kachy? Have you packed your bags yet?”  
There was no response. She opened the door, to find Alyssa trying her best to clean up the room.  
“Hey- Don’t worry about that!” Aunt Emmy said in a concerned tone. “I’ll deal with everything myself, you go ahead and start walking to Resilire Town.”  
“But Aunt Emmy…” Kachy replied as she rearranged the bookshelf, which was already really messy before she entered the house.  
  
After forty minutes, Kachy, wearing a backpack, carrying a wheelbarrow with two bags on it, and Aunt Emmy met together on the porch.  
“Be good, alright?” Auntie embraced Alyssa.  
“Thank you so much for everything, Aunt Emmy.”  
“It’s not a problem.” She replied. “I also missed having David stop by.”  
“Goodbye, Aunt Emmy!” She waved as she walked farther through the road beside the house.  
“Goodbye, Alyssa!” Aunt Emmy waved back.  
  
  
  
The sun was absent in the sky. Instead, a moon reigned over the sky as Alyssa finally landed her eyes on a sign.  
“Resilire Town, the town that never dies.”  
As she turned her head from the sign, she tried not to drop the handle of the wheelbarrow, as the enormous town shone like silver to her tired eyes.  
The town should’ve re-recognized itself as a city, she thought. But thinking about it further, the town may be big, but it was still too small to be a city. But, the town was the most powerful and respected place in the whole continent. She’s heard of cities ten times the size of Resilire Town, but the town still stands superior. The thoughts made Alyssa gaze on the buildings as she wandered around.  
  
She eventually found her way to one of the town’s inns.  
“Good evening, miss.” An Audino greeted. “Are you here to stay for the night?”  
“I’m actually uhh…” Kachy reached out into one of her bags, and pulled out a card. She presented it to the Audino. “...A student?”  
“Oh, another one of those?” Audino walked outside of her post. “Alright, follow me, I’ll show you to your room.”  
“I already have a room?”  
“Yes. Now, follow me!”  
  
Alyssa followed the Audino as they walked through a corridor.  
“So…” Alyssa was the first to break a bit of the silence. “...How much for one night?”  
“All fees are paid by your school, so don’t worry about it.” Audino cheerfully answered.  
“...That’s a relief.” She sighed.  
  
Soon, Audino took out a keychain, and unlocked a certain door.  
“Here’s your room.” She showed Alyssa to the neatly prepared room. “Breakfast starts at 5 AM and ends at 8, but you know you have to be at the academy earlier than 8.”  
“Thank you.” Alyssa said as she placed the bags on a table.  
“Have you already eaten dinner yet?”  
  
Alyssa’s face was already sunk on the bed.  
“Oh?” Audino tried to shake her. “Miss, you still have to get up, you know?”  
She didn’t give any response.  
“Oh well…” She gently placed the key to the room beside Alyssa. “Have a good night’s rest.”  
She headed out of the room, and locked the door behind her.  
  
  
  
Alyssa woke up. The first thing she did was to check the window. The moon still shone over the sky. She went to go back to bed, but was there any use for this? She was only lucky that she was able to doze off the last night, but unfortunately, luck doesn’t last forever. She couldn’t get herself to sleep, no matter how hard she tried.  
  
She decided that she was going to check her bags, arrange her stuff in the empty cabinets, organize the place a little bit. She was going to stay there for a very long time, as far as she was concerned.  
  
She went to open the suitcase-esque bag. The memory of Marty trying so hard to carry it threatened to make her chuckle, she remembered it like it was yesterday. Probably because it was actually yesterday.  
When she opened the bag…  
“...Shit.” She wore a shocked look as she dug up a book from her bag.  
“Who Are You, Really?” The title said.  
  
The urge to go out of her room and spend another thirteen or more hours to travel back and return the book to Aunt Emmy kicked in.  
She just woke up, and couldn’t really focus, so she was struggling to open the door. Not long after, she walked back to her bed, and lay down, having given up.  
  
All she could ever think of was what was going to happen the next day. Was she really going to be a good student? Was anyone going to accept her as she is, as a Gardien? She started thinking thoughts that Marty should’ve been sent instead. She may know more, but he was smarter, and he wouldn’t screw up anything, like burn down the house back home, or something. Apol was more likely to do that. She hasn’t even stepped foot into the school, yet she already regretted her decision. But unfortunately, it had to be her. She was chosen, no one else could go.  
  
She grabbed the book, hoping that it would take her mind from the problems for a bit, or maybe somehow put her to sleep.  
  
 _“...Don’t worry about anything. I’d say maybe a decent fraction of the things that happen, you can’t prevent it, and you just have to let it happen. But maybe you can prepare for it.”_ _  
_  
The first sentence already made Alyssa worry more. What was she doing anyway? The first time she read a book like this, she believed in every word, yet when she closed the book and thought she could do it, her heart sank, and probably shattered into a thousand pieces. There was no way she could trust these messages anymore, but she only kept reading more, hoping that the book would somehow push her to subconsciousness, but she never fell asleep. She was only diving deeper into the fire.  
  
Under stress, she could only act on instinct, and when she took a closer look at what she did, she immediately covered her face in regret, as the book, with a scratch on its cover, was also damaged from slamming into the wall.  
  
She lay down on her bed. She tried to prevent any more tears crawling out of her eyes.  
She couldn’t feel or think anymore, as hours and hours passed by...


	2. Somewhere Else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a first for everything. For Alyssa's case, she deals with her first day in a place filled with strangers... and awful school moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it took way too long for me to release the second chapter, but hopefully you enjoy it.

“Hey… uhh, Miss?” Audino said in a worried tone as she peeked through the door. “You’re supposed to get up early, you know?”  
Alyssa didn’t respond. She lay there, like she did for hours and hours.  
“I’ve been knocking for a solid 20 minutes.” Audino continued as she went closer. “I was worried, I had to grab another key.”  
She glanced at a book on the floor. Then she helped Alyssa to a sitting position. “Are you okay?”  
She patted her on the back. “I try my best to make the Pokémon that go to my inn feel welcome, and with smiles on their faces. If you need anything…”  
“...I don’t know.” Alyssa finally spoke. “...I’m… sorry…”  
“There’s breakfast waiting for you in the cafe.” The Audino helped her stand up. “I’ll take you there.”

\----- ----- -----

Audino dusted off her hands. Her work here was done, and Alyssa was already sitting on a chair, chewing on some of the fruits off the plate on her table. She was already walking back to her post, when she turned back.

Sure, Alyssa was eating, but only little by little, even long pauses before she takes another bite.  
There was still one thing more that needed to be done.

“Hey there...” Audino approached Alyssa.  
“...Yes, Miss?” She faced back to her.  
“...How are you?”

“...I’m not so sure…” Alyssa reluctantly responded, facing back to her plate of fruits. “Maybe it’s just being nervous, I don’t really know.”  
“...Has there been something else going on in your life?” The Audino answered. “There were other students here that were scared of going to school, but none at the same level as you were. By a longer shot than I'd like to admit.”

“...I…” Alyssa stopped to chew slowly on a Pecha Berry. Then when she was finished, she faced Audino. “...I wasn't exactly the best at coping up or connecting with other people.”  
“...What do you mean?”  
“...I don’t think…” She stopped herself.  
“Hey, it’s alright, continue…”  
“...I don’t think you even want to know who I am.”  
Audino could only stare, as Alyssa cautiously went to consume another berry.

“...What’s your name?” Audino finally spoke.  
“But-”  
“I want you to say it yourself.”  
“...Alyssa.” She answered. “Should I also tell you my last name-”  
“Alyssa…” Audino sat down. “You don’t have to say anything else.” She put a paw on Kachy’s shoulder, facing Kachy. “You’re Alyssa. You don’t have to be anyone else. Just be you. Just be… Alyssa.”  
“...I’m...”  
“My actual name is Amanda.” Amanda replied. “It’s just that everyone prefers to simply refer to me as Audino.” She sat down comfortably. “...Not sure what’s the deal with Pokémon referring to others with their species names, though. What if there would be two of the same Pokémon in the room..? How would they refer to them then?”

“Heh, yeah.” Alyssa’s mouth looked slightly closer to a smile. “In cases like that… You can call me Alyssa, but you can also call me Kachy.”  
"Glad to know that, Kachy."

A while passed.  
“Speaking of two Pokémon in the same room…” Amanda glanced back at the cafe that held only a handful of other Pokémon.. “...We’re one of the only Pokémon that’s still here. Everyone else is already in the school. You should probably start to pick up the pace, but no pressure...”  
Alyssa did listen, but she took picking up the pace to the next level, as the next thing Amanda witnessed was the sudden running of a Pikachu, who was frantically stuffing berries in her mouth, most of them falling on the floor, the message of her unclear "sorry" through a slightly full mouth, and her tripping on the cafe floor, spilling the rest of the berries, as well as shattering the plate that held them into pieces.

Amanda stood up, and quickly rushed to Alyssa's side. Alyssa could only grasp at her ruined hair, covering her face in shame and anger.

"No rush, Alyssa… No rush…" Amanda said calmly.

She had started picking up the berries and broken plate pieces around her, when Alyssa let out a cough, followed by audible sobs.  
Amanda's first response was to drop the mess, letting them fall a second time, as she kneeled to face Alyssa.

"Why…" Alyssa took a deep breath. "W-why are you s-so…"  
"So..?" Amanda replied.  
"...so kind… to me..?" Alyssa continued. "...I-I ruined your inn… why aren't you mad at..."

Amanda only smiled. "It was never the building I cared about."  
"...B-but I bothered other Pokémon, did I..?"  
"Not too many." Amanda reassured with a patient smile. "Besides, I can fix it, no worries. Now, get up."

Kachy started by sitting up, and continued by standing, then trying to walk normally towards her room to get her stuff.

When she returned to the main room (which was already cleaned up then) wearing a small satchel, as she tried to head for the exit, Amanda blocked her with a raised arm, keeping her from going any further.  
"You forgot two things."  
Alyssa faced her.

"One, wear a smile."  
Alyssa tried, but she had a lot of difficulty to form a smile, but she just couldn't do it. Or at least she thought she couldn't.

"That's… the nicest smile I've ever seen anywhere, Alyssa!" She said in awe as she observed a genuine and kind-looking, natural smile. "Second… Don't forget our little chat. Just…" She paused. "Just be you. If you remember to bring these two things, you may pass." She dropped her arm.

"...Thank you." Alyssa said, as she walked out of the door, on her way to school.

"...There's something more to her." Amanda finally said after a moment. "I just... know it."

\----- ----- -----

Alyssa lowered a piece of paper that her nose was stuck on, to observe a grand gate that, though actually not that tall, looked like it reached into the sky at first.  
"...It's here…" She whispered to herself.

The sign said:  
Grand Resilire University of Heightened Ability

It does look pretty grand, from what she's seen so far.  
Oh well… she took a deep breath, and let herself walk towards a guard, and showed her entree card.  
The next thing she knew, she was in.

The first thought she had as soon as she found the main room was to try and ask anyone where she should go next. She knew that her section was “Shirogane”, but that was all the information she had about where she should be right now. Hmm… Maybe that Fraxure over there could help.

“Hey, excuse me, uhh…” Alyssa tapped on the Fraxure’s shoulder.  
“...What?” She reluctantly turned around, but didn’t face Alyssa back.  
“Do you happen to know where the room for ‘Shirogane’ is?”  
“...Huh, yeah.” She started pushing Alyssa through a couple corridors.

After quite a few minutes, some being spent circling through certain areas without Kachy’s notice, they finally stopped before a door.  
“Alright, good luck on your schooling.” The Fraxure immediately walked away, but when Alyssa turned to thank her, she was already gone.

Oh well… She took a deep breath, and opened the door to her classroom.

Or she thought it was the classroom. What was actually behind that door was a Dewott. His posture looked as if he was about to leave the room by himself if she gave him more time to do it, and his reached-out hand supported that idea. He was also wearing an expression between blank and startled as he stared back at Alyssa. She slightly turned the door to look back at where she went wrong, and after reading the sign which was posted on the door, it finally registered to her about how she dared to open the door to the boys’ comfort room as wide as she did. It didn’t matter that the Dewott seemed to already be long done using the toilet, so there wasn’t anything disturbing to look at.

“...Excuse me-”  
Alyssa didn’t dare let herself hear the full sentence from the Dewott before shutting the door.  
Thankfully, and hopefully, there wasn’t a reason for Alyssa to enter the door next to it and proceed to lose the few berries she’s eaten. She moved on to go further down the corridor.

She eventually found a door by herself. So far, every door she’s observed had a sign to them. Kesshō, Emerarudo, the boys’ comfort room… But this doesn’t appear to have a sign. She knows that a room without a clear sign might probably be off-limits to students, but there was a set of boards beside them, with notes about lesson topics and timestamps pinned to them. Nothing else that looked more important was there, so this wasn’t a teacher’s room.  
There were also similar boards for the other rooms besides… she’d rather not think about it.  
She thought maybe the sign to the room was broken, or needed some extra polishing, but… wasn’t all of the school supposed to be fully prepared by now? Oh well… She knocked twice and opened the door and…

She saw a whole class and their homeroom teacher staring at her. Uncomfortably.  
She went ahead to look for an empty seat, and sat down on one that she found.  
She went to take a quick glance at her seatmate and… Alyssa immediately faced the other way. There was no way she was going to interact with anyone if the rest of her classmates were the types that lead Pokémon to occupied comfort rooms like that Fraxure does.

After a couple minutes, an excellent-looking First Bird Pokémon, Sir Archeops, walked through the door.  
The first thing he said after he was behind his desk was, “Stand up, Daiyamondo section.”

Alyssa didn’t know if she had to stand, or continue sitting down, because she wasn’t Daiyamondo. Either thought only kept her stuck still in her seat, and it didn’t take long for Alyssa to find Sir Archeops beside her seat.  
“...Why aren’t you standing?” The teacher said. “Are you, maybe, tired?”  
“Umm…” Alyssa could only squeak “...This is the Daiyamondo section..?”  
“Yes. This is the Daiyamondo section.” The Archeops answered. “Why would you not be here if you didn’t know you were Daiyamondo?”  
Alyssa could only stare, even though she wanted to stop. Staring was rude.  
“...Did the sign get knocked over again?”  
“...A-again..?” Alyssa said. “...I don’t…”  
“Then who are you..?”

Alyssa couldn’t respond, even though she had to. Or at least she thought she had to do it on her own. The Archeops took the paper she was holding, and inspected it.  
“Ah, Shirogane…” He returned the paper to Alyssa, and turned back to his class. “Kurnov, can you get out of my class, and escort her to your section?”  
“On my way.” A Ninetales stopped talking with the Fraxure beside her, and walked towards her seat.  
Alyssa stood up. “Sorry, sir…” She said as she was walking out of the room with the stranger.

When Alyssa shut the door behind her, she continued walking, but for whatever reason, she couldn’t get any further away. She looked over her shoulder to see a part of her satchel stuck in the door. She tried hard to pull the bag out, but somehow… The side of her bag got ripped out. It spilled a lot of its contents, sending Alyssa scrambling to recover her stuff. When she finally put back all of her items in her bag, she walked back to Kurnov’s side.

“Sorry about that...” Alyssa faced down.  
“So you’re Shirogane too?” Kurnov asked. Alyssa faced the Ninetales. His fur wasn’t colored normally. It was colored pure white, and his hair flowed from his head, somewhat majestically.  
“...Yep.” She answered.

“So, basically…” He continued as he guided the way to their room. “You know Daiyamondo’s homeroom? Turn back, go forward until you're in the middle of a raised platform. Turn right, and climb up the stairs that would be directly in front of you then, and when you’ve reached the end of them, you’ve basically found the door to Shirogane’s homeroom.”  
“...That’s… it?”  
“There’s also a school map in the first room of the school if you still don’t know.” Kurnov replied. “It’s the first thing you’ll see once you enter the building.”  
Damnit. It was true, there was a map stuck on the wall first thing she saw when she entered. She could’ve just followed it, and she could’ve avoided having to invade someone’s privacy and accidentally being in the wrong class.

“So… who was that Fraxure?” Alyssa asked.  
“Oh, just ignore her.” Kurnov answered. “Mazi’s pretty crazy.”  
"You know her?"  
He opened the door. “After you.”  
Alyssa let herself walk into the room, and she eventually found her seat. She took the only empty seat in the room, which was directly beside the seat of a Buizel, whose nose was stuck on a book.

She tried to see if she could see any more of the Buizel’s face, but her long hair already covered what the book didn’t.  
But it was no time for getting to know everyone. Because a Cradily has already walked through the door.

"Stand up," Sir Cradily said. "Shirogane section."

Everyone stood up, the Buizel included. She put down her book, but her hair was still in the way.

The Cradily grew a vine, grabbed a chalk, and wrote down his name.

_Sir Cradily_

"Though you already know that, right?" He said.  
Many of the students had a decent chuckle, but the Buizel didn't respond.  
"I don't understand what's the deal with most people being called by their species either, so I'll let you in on something." Cradily continued writing down on the board.

_Sir Cradily_   
_\- Homeroom Teacher_

"If, at any certain point, every single one of you has over 80 percent in my subject at the same time, I'll grant you all permission to refer to me by my real name."

A lot of the students cheered and clapped. Alyssa, from where she stood, observed on Sir Cradily's face the look of not understanding what was so exciting about this. She knew that look, because she was also wearing it too.

"Anyways, if you can quiet down a bit," Sir Cradily continued. "So a lot of you may be asking, what is my subject then? I'm not only known simply as Sir Cradily, Homeroom Teacher of the Shirogane section." He said. "This school doesn't pick Pokémon for no reason, and I was picked for my well-knowing about a bunch of places!"

He continues writing down on the board.

_Sir Cradily_   
_\- Homeroom Teacher_   
_\- Geography_

The Buizel's head inched a bit closer to Sir Cradily.

"Alright, that's enough about me." Sir Cradily said. "For now. Is there anyone here that would rather be called by something else, maybe even tell another thing or two about themselves..?"

No Pokémon stepped forward.

"...How about the Pikachu?"  
Well, shit. But to be fair, Alyssa didn't want to be called Pikachu anyway. She walked towards Sir Cradily's desk, and turned around.

"...First thing you need to know, my favorite color's red." Alyssa casually spoke.  
"...Second, I came here because I thought I could help my family. I mean, who wouldn't go for that reason?"

Some Pokémon just stared at her. She didn't really care that much about that, but what was pretty suspicious was that Kurnov on the other side of the room was nodding as she spoke. Stop, she thought. You're just being paranoid.

"...Last, you can call me Kachy, but my real name's Alyssa."  
"Alyssa… what?" Sir Cradily replied.  
"...Just call me Alyssa."

She sighed, and walked back to her chair.  
But the moment she sat on it, she was called by a different name that she didn't mention.

"...Gardien." Behind her seat, Kurnov answered.

A lot of the Pokémon already started whispering to themselves.  
This was the exact reason why Alyssa never wanted to outright say her last name.

She covered her ears, hoping that she'll never have to hear from her classmates the old tales of how the Gardien family, a race indicated by glowing green eyes (Pokémon with already green eyes aside), were a ruthless race that raided peaceful territories and spilled the blood of the innocent lives that lived there. An ever-hungry blood that thirsts for more power than they already had. A terrible legion that ravaged the weak to gain and gain. If there was something much worse than feral Pokémon, it would be them.

But Alyssa wanted to scream out that those stories are outdated, no longer true. As far as she was aware, the Gardien family stopped being such tyrants hundreds of years ago. They changed. They all changed. Maybe her relatives would still not be the kindest Pokémon, but she knew her grandmother and three siblings. Step-siblings. They would only be annoying, and just annoying at worst. She also didn't understand why people still think that a damn surname can say everything about a certain Pokémon. Also, she really wished that she could’ve kept her true father’s last name, like she kept his left blue eye, instead of the dirty surname of her stepfather. Besides, Beatrix sounded friendlier, and was easier to pronounce than Gardien.

But the point still stood. She had a real reason to hide her name. But it didn't matter that she hid what was the least green eye in all of the family under her long hair. She couldn't hide that she was Gardien anymore, could she?

"Settle down, Shirogane." Alyssa could barely hear Sir Cradily announce. "Settle down."  
Silence finally filled the room. Alyssa didn't need to hide herself from the noise anymore. Finally… some peace for once. But she refused to lift her head. Not yet.

"Does anyone else want to introduce themselves?" Cradily continued.  
Alyssa heard another Pokémon's footsteps.

"Hello, haha…” The next Pokémon said. “Some of you may have remembered me as Shawn Seiden, and…” Wait… has she heard that voice before..?  
Alyssa slowly lifted her head to see, but immediately slammed it on the table after only a few seconds.  
The fact that he was in front of her didn't help. The memory of that same Dewott, startled and motionless in the comfort room flooded back to her, adding insult to an injury Alyssa was already dying from.

\----- ----- -----

Understandably, no one dared to sit anywhere close to Kachy for lunchtime. But even if they wanted to, she would rather be alone, so she didn't really mind that much.  
She was thirsty, but she didn't want to leave her seat vacant. She thought that maybe she could make a run for it, but honestly… She could never get the energy to do it consistently, which was funny, since she was an Electric-type.  
She just continued sitting there, simply allowing herself to dry out.

Then, Shawne passed by. Alyssa wasn't as hurt from seeing him as much as before, but she really wished that he was simply passing by, and that would be the last time she would have to see him today.  
Unfortunately, he actually had the guts to sit on the other side of the table.

Alyssa really felt like she was going to lose it. She didn't dare move, and allowed Shawne do his own thing.

"...Is it about the toilet?" Shawne suddenly said.  
"I-" Kachy frantically and hesitantly responded. "...Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"  
"It's nothing, really." Shawne replied. "It's alright."  
"...Really?"  
"Yeah!"  
"...But-"  
"No, seriously!"  
Shawne smiled at her.

Alyssa didn't really know how to respond in this situation, so she smiled back.

Shawne returned to eating. Kachy followed. But she couldn't bring herself to eat. She needed water. So what was she supposed to… Got it. Wait, that was a terrible idea, haha, what am I- Oh, ok fine, fuck it.

"...Shawne, right?" Alyssa said.  
"Yes?" He replied.  
"Favor, can you watch over my seat for me?" She asked. "I'm going to get water."  
"Actually, you stay in your seat." He stood up. "I'm going to deal with that matter."  
"Shawne… No it's fine, I'll-"  
"No, no. Don't worry about it."  
Shawn already disappeared from the room, on his way to get water.

Alyssa just spent the few minutes waiting.  
"Hey, uhh…" Another Pokémon said. "Is anyone using this seat?"  
"Yes- hey, wait!" Alyssa tried her hardest to get her weak voice to speak her answer clear, but the random Pokémon had already run off with Shawne's chair.

"...Rude." Alyssa whispered to herself. She wasn't feeling as polite as before, after everything.  
Her look of slight disdain disappeared as soon as a cup of water was placed beside her.  
"Thanks, Shawne…" She started sipping from her cup, but it somehow only made her feel worse.

Sure, she was finally hydrated, but not refreshed. The water's taste was horrid, and left an uneasy feeling in her stomach.  
She thought the water somewhat tasted like copper, and she didn't even know what copper tasted like.

“Sorry, but yeah, the water here’s pretty terrible..." Shawne replied. "...But you'll get used to it. Hopefully."  
Used to… Wait, how long did he have to deal with… Now Kachy really wanted to go home.

"Get used to- Shawne?!"  
Shawne fell on the floor trying to sit in his long gone seat.

"Hahaha…" He cheerfully looked up to face Alyssa. "...This is embarrassing…"  
The sight made Alyssa forget the taste of the terrible water for a moment. She could only smile. He's a year older than her, but how, he still remains a kid-like cute bundle of joy.

\----- ----- -----

Everyone was back in the classroom, lunch time was over. But still, after waiting a couple of minutes, Alyssa couldn't see any teacher go into their room yet.

She had two ideas for what she could do in her spare time.  
She could either approach Shawne and thank him for trying to even reach out to her, despite who she apparently was…  
Or she could try to reach out to her seatmate.  
Alyssa faced the Buizel.

Finally, since the book she was reading wasn't as close to her face as before, Alyssa got to see a bit of her face, though her head was tilted down.

She observed her test papers, scattered on top of the desk. They all had pretty high markings. So far, it appeared that the Buizel was the smartest student in the classroom, which Kachy thought was impressive, as she looked at her own papers which… Actually, nevermind. She'll just ignore the unrealistically low scores on them again.

Kachy knows that she's actually fairly smart, and had the chance of being somewhere in the middle of the top half of the class… But because she had trouble coping up because of the pretty unhealthy way she treats her mind, she's ended up being, as far as she was aware, not only in the bottom half, but in the bottom, bottom. Way down there. Also, the rest of the bottom half were only decent at worst.

But it was no time to compare, so Kachy tried to spark a conversation, no matter how small it may be.

"Hey there." Alyssa told the Buizel.  
Panicked, she shielded herself with the book she was holding.  
"What's your name?" Kachy continued. "I don't remember you introducing yourself back then."  
The Buizel whispered something. Kachy could barely hear her faint whisper, as close as her ears were to her.  
“…Come again?” Kachy said.  
She didn’t reply back.

"...So… How are you?" She asked.  
"..."  
"Good afternoon, Shirogane." A voice said.  
Suddenly, everyone stood up, including Kachy, who's already stopped her conversation.

She looked back to see who it was, and it turned out to be Sir Archeops.  
He wrote something down on the board.

_Sir Archeops_   
_\- Literature Teacher_

"So…" Sir Archeops said after writing down 'Sir Archeops' on the board. "...I will assume that everyone has already read the summer reading assignment?"

Summer… WHAT? No one has ever said a thing about it to her. If it was supposed to be read during the summer, then how was she supposed to read it then? There was nothing in the envelope from the university aside from the acceptance letter, a map to the school, and her ID/Entree Card.

"The reading was included in the letter that was sent to you." Sir Archeops continued. "There was enough time for you to read it, am I right, or am I wrong?"

Though the insults piled up over injuries, Alyssa never thought that the game was rigged. But if she thought it was rigged, she'd believe it was all Arceus' fault.

\----- ----- -----

After three hours spent trying so hard to have any more interaction with Buizy, experiencing more mishaps, and getting fail marks, it was finally time for the Shirogane section to be dismissed.

"Alright." Sir Cradily said. "For those that are doing somewhat well, I expect you to keep up your efforts…"

"...And for those that are doing… Not so well…" He faced Alyssa. There were a couple of students who had a chuckle, which was hopefully the last tragedy of the day. "...I'm hoping you'll get better."

"You may leave the classroom." He continued. "Thank you."

They all left the room, pretty much everyone with a smile on their faces. It was either they were satisfied with their efforts, or were already bonding with their new or old friends. Maybe even both.

But Kachy… really couldn't exactly do the same. Then she remembered Amanda's words…

"...Wear a smile."  
She decided that she wasn't going to disappoint Amanda. She was going back with a smile, no matter what happened.  
So she went to walk through the door…  
But she stopped.

She turned back, knowing that there was something else she could do.  
"Goodbye, Sir Cradily!" Her tone changed to energetic and cheerful. Then she finally walked out of the room.

"...How..?" The Cradily whispered to himself. "...She… Back then, she strongly resembled..."

He stared at the window. "...Mandi…"

\----- ----- -----

Alyssa tried her hardest to find Shawne. Eventually, she found him wandering around one of the hallways.

"Hey, Shawne." Alyssa caught his attention. "By the way, thanks for choosing to hang out with me for a bit, even after everything else."  
"Not a problem, Kachy!" He responded.  
She turned back, as she's done all she needed to do… but she couldn't bring herself to step forward.

Screw it. She thought as she faced back to Shawne. It didn't matter why he treated her like an ally, despite all the reasons not to… But…

"By the way, Shawne…" Alyssa said. "...Wondering why though."  
"...Wondering… what?" He replied.  
"...You know that I'm a…"

"Look, Kurnov can continue being an idiot, for all I know, it’s not any of my concern.” Shawne answered as he looked into the sky. “Not anymore." He faced back to Alyssa. "You're who you choose to be, not where you came from. I don't really know who you are yet, but from what I know right now, you seem like a genuinely nice Pokémon. That's all that matters to me."

"...T-thank you, Shawne."  
"Once again, not a problem!" He replied. "Tell me when you need anything else!"

They waved each other goodbye.

\----- ----- -----

"Good evening, Alyssa!" Amanda greeted her.  
"Good evening to you too… Uhh…" Alyssa replied. "Is- Is it alright to call you Amanda or do I call you…"  
"Amanda is fine." She answered. "Besides, you need a friend, being far away from home and all. So, how was your first day?"  
"...Pretty much insanity." Kachy answered. "But it's alright."

"So, what would you want to have for dinner?" Amanda asked.  
“Frankly… I don’t know either.” Alyssa answered.

“Hmm… if you want, I’ll let you have the same thing you had for breakfast. I see you liked it.”  
“…Yep.”  
“…Or maybe you can try out a combination I’ve been working on while you’re at it,” Amanda said. “I’ve been trying to work on it, but I haven’t really gotten anyone to try it out. But if you’re busy...”  
Something not on the list… and personal?

“...Count me interested.” Alyssa answered. “Sorry to interrupt…”

“Alright, let me prepare them. Give me a few minutes…” Amanda immediately headed off to the kitchen door, which was right behind her.

Alyssa was left to wait on her chair, in front of a door that would hopefully open again sooner than she thought it will. But she didn’t mind. She already got caught up in something herself.

The good amount Pokémon around the cafeteria, children to elderly, old friends and newcomers. A lot of them seemed to interact with each other nicely, strangers talking like they knew each other for a day.  
There was a bit of… charm to it that personally fascinated Alyssa. Maybe it was because…

…No. She’d rather not think about it. Not when she’s under a nice and warm atmosphere.  
Oh well, focusing back to reality, she turned her head to face around the room again, observing more things that she hasn’t before.

…Then her eyes were suddenly fixed on something.

She can’t be stupid, there are probably more of the same species in the town, but she wasn’t sure if she was hallucinating, or it was that same Buizel from school.

“Hey there.” Alyssa’s head then turned to a familiar Audino. “Here’s my work in progress.”  
Alyssa was presented with a cup of juice, complemented with a mini umbrella on the cup. Then the next thing to come up on the table was the same plate of berries she’s eaten for breakfast, understandably without the Chesto berries.

Alyssa has always wanted to be remembered as the kind of Pokémon that was always a nice friend, was always willing to provide the best help with a loving smile, pretty much like someone’s aunt. Unfortunately, given her bloodline and all that, she was never really given the chance. Of course, she made her first move, wasting no time to not waste this opportunity, and took a sip from Amanda’s personal blend, hoping to help someone.

“So, umm... “ Amanda asked a Pikachu who was clearly feeling a bit of discomfort. “...How was the drink?”  
Alyssa… refused to answer, and just gave a smile.  
“...It’s alright.” She continued. “...Just, let me know everything.”  
Alyssa took a bit of time to compose herself, and finally spoke.  
“...The drink… What’s it supposed to be?” She asked. “Like, I need to understand what you’re trying to do here.”

“I tried to mix these three berries.” Amanda started. “Petaya to help up your mind when you’re feeling down, and Kasib to block away all negative thoughts!”  
“...That’s actually a really nice idea.” Alyssa replied as she nodded. “...But, I don’t know, is it meant to be this spicy and sour? If you asked me… It’s a very odd mix.”  
“...How spicy and sour?” Amanda said as she headed back to the kitchen, and returned in just a few seconds, holding a cup contained with the same blend. She goes ahead to sip a bit from her cup, and her eyes grew a bit.

“You said something about a third berry, right?” Alyssa asked.  
“...Oh, right. I’m sorry, I included a third berry into the original mix before testing it.” Amanda sighed. “I thought a Payapa berry could help boost the mix’s flavors a bit, also because Payapa can sense emotions, so I included one there.”  
“But, Payapa berries can’t make things be this spicy and sour, can it?” Alyssa replied. She looked back to her childhood, remembering how at least once in every day, her father would teach a thing or two about berries, then it all snapped.

“...Hey, Amanda…”  
“…Yes?”  
“…What did the ‘Payapa’ berry look like?” Alyssa asked once more.  
“The berry looked a bit glossier and bluer than usual. Maybe I thought this particular Payapa berry would taste even better than the rest, and would make the blend a bit better than usual…” Amanda said. “...Why do you ask?”  
Alyssa, the self-proclaimed great detective said, “It wasn’t a Payapa berry, it was a Belue.”

“Oh, no wonder why it’s a bit more sour than usual.” Amanda bowed down. “I’m terribly sorry for having to make you test a mistake, that was very irresponsible of me.”  
“It’s fine! It’s fine...” Alyssa frantically waved her hands. “...But how could you confuse these two berries though?”  
“...Heehee…” Amanda blushed. “...I, umm… I’ll admit I didn’t get enough sleep yesterday.”  
Woah there.

“You see, I’ve been extra busy yesterday, the students arriving here almost doubled the amount of Pokémon residing in the inn…”  
“Amanda…” Alyssa put her paw on Amanda’s shoulder. “Take a break. You need it.”  
“...I am, right now.” Amanda replied. “It’s actually really nice talking to you. I owe you one for helping me figure out the blend I’ve been working on. I’ll see if I can actually bring in an actual Payapa, and I’ll maybe add a Pecha, the next time I prepare that mix. Thanks so much!”  
“Not a problem.” Alyssa said. “I’ve always wanted to help Pokémon.”  
The two just smiled at each other for a long time.

“...You should probably get started on your dinner now.” Amanda reminded her.  
“Oh! Right.” Alyssa started munching on the plate of berries.

A few moments later, the plate that was in front of Alyssa was now empty.

“Alright, thanks for the dinner, Amanda.” Alyssa said.  
“You’re welcome.” Amanda responded.  
She faced a clock hung on the wall, then she faced back to the content Pikachu in front of her.  
“Oh, it’s getting late. I suppose you’ll have to head to bed now.” Amanda said.  
“Alright. See you, Amanda!” Alyssa started walking towards the door that led outside of the cafeteria, to the lobby. Then she turned back. “By the way, we’re friends, right?”  
“Always been.” Amanda answered. “Good night, Alyssa! Sleep well!”  
“You too!”

\----- ----- -----

...I should probably fix this mess of a room. Alyssa thought to herself as soon as she closed the door behind her and took a look at her quarters. She forgot that she actually never unpacked her bags.

She started by unpacking the bag that was already open. Oh wait, place the book.. The book. She stared at the book for a long while. ...Place the book lying on the floor. There, she was able to continue her thoughts.

She picked it up, closed it, and respectfully placed it on top of the table in front of her. Moving on.  
The open bag contained all her clothes, whenever she had to wear them. She picked the whole bag up, turned around, and walked towards the cabinet, where she proceeded to transfer everything that was in the bag into its new place.

When she was done, she headed back to the bags. The other two bags contained her more personal belongings, such as a book containing precious sketches drawn by her, a notebook where she jotted down random thoughts over the years, personal hygiene stuff, and a stained and worn-out plushie that resembles Reshiram, which she’s kept… Pretty much all her life. But none of them were the most important things to her. Those titles went to all the books written down by her father, as well as the pictures of him. It’s been way too long since she’s last seen him, and...  
...Call her stubborn, and she’ll agree, but she still somehow believes that she’ll meet him again, one day. But for now, these little things were the closest she felt to her true family.

When she was done unpacking everything, bringing them all to their new places, she picked up her journal, sat down on the chair before the table, grabbed a pencil, and started writing down her thoughts.

_I’ve somehow made it. I don’t know how, but I did._   
_Things have been changing a bit. Some of the Pokémon I’ve met were… kind. I don’t understand, but I’m thankful._   
_Of course, the first day sucked, but things should only get upwards from here. Probably._

  
She closed the journal, turned 4 ‘o clock and walked, until she was in front of the comfortable bed she was already covering herself in.

She was right. Things should only get upwards here, but it won’t go that way, will it?


	3. (not a chapter, just wanting to let you know)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Author's note)

Hiya there.

First things first, I want to truly thank you all for reading and supporting my fanfics. Seeing people enjoy the things I've worked on and seeing people really adore and deeply abhor the crazy characters I've come up with is one thing I will be forever grateful for.

But unfortunately, some things take time, and time isn't certain.

Over the past few months, I've come to realize that maybe... just like everything else I've done, I've completely lost my passion for writing. Or maybe I've completely lost my reason to continue a story I feel might have a story too twisted for many to accept.

Or... maybe I do need a break.

I truly apologize for the complete inactivity, and I acknowledge that I've let everyone down, summoning a new story from the ashes, and leaving it to collect dust before it has even begun.

I acknowledge that it has taken me too long to write Alyssa's first maybe three or five days of school. But maybe it's because I either simply do not enjoy writing anymore, **or I simply want to restart it all over again** , trying to do better after my long time in the shadows.

Who knows, I might end up restarting "The World Against Us" anew one day, maybe sooner than the other, however with a slightly different plot. A slightly different ending than originally planned.  
A slightly different journey for sleepless and lonely Alyssa, but with the same familiar faces.

For now however, all it needs is to wait.  
I hope you understand.

\- ryan

(P. S: Feel free to contact me over Twitter as well, @ryanexhale if you have any questions.)


End file.
